Wolgolveri

=Wolgolveri=

Appearance
Tall, anthropomorphic wolf-like creatures with backwards facing zigzag horns and a spikey mane around their necks. Even females bear this mane, albeit a smaller and thinner version. Their tails are thick and bushy, and their arms and legs are roughly the same length. They carry all the fur colors of a wolf, and their eyes can be all shades of green, yellow, brown, and occasionally blue. Very rarely will a Wolgolveri have grey eyes, and these individuals are often seen as outcasts, believed to be cursed or bewitched (crazy).

Location
The Wolgolveri live(d) in the vast pine forests and tall mountains of Mysteria. After the Great War, some moved to the Northern Mountains of the Broken Land and the High Mountains of Mainlandia. They do not do well in hot climates, preferring the chilly air of the northern continent. They are adapted to pine forests and hunt best where there is no dense undergrowth. They hunt best at night, and have perfect eyesight in almost total darkness.

Behavior
Wolgolveri act, in many ways, like wolves, living in packs and hunting together as a unit. Wolgolveri are very warrior-like, with males and females on the same level when holding the same social rank. These creatures are incredibly territorial, pugnacious, and stubborn. Known to follow prey for miles, they will not give up until they have completed their goal. Crafty and sly, Wolgolveri are experts at manipulating humans, especially when they use the Black Veil. Wolgolveri do not like humans at all, and many think them unclean or animals. They also dislike Rageryans highly, but will work will Rageryans if it means driving out humans.

Vocalization
Wolgolveri can make all the sounds a wolf can make. This includes grunts, huffs, growls, barks, snorts, howls, and yips. Occasionally, a Wolgolveri will make a baying sound similar to hunting dogs when alerting the other pack members of danger. A howl indicates either a hunt about to start, a kill, or trace of humans (which more likely than not will result in a hunt for the human(s)). Wolgolveri have their own language, but can speak Basic (aka human speech).

Diet
Wolgolveri are obligate carnivores, and need meat to survive. Their most common prey are the Truvite (large thick furred and bulky animals that resemble elk with long, tapering tails that have long tufts of fur at the end), Grazers (large, herbivorous creatures with a Doberman-like body and a buffalo’s head), Enervoboas (large constrictors adapted for cold climates), Pruinaraptors (furry creatures that resemble Utahraptors), large insects (such as the Giant Millipede which can reach eight feet), and, for coastal communities, Black Finned Sharks, any fish they catch in their fishing boats, and the occasional beached Marinex. They also eat dragon eggs when they can find them, and consider these to be a delicacy. While Wolgolveri can eat vegetables and the rare fruit that grows in cold climates, they prefer not to. However, no Wolgolveri will ever pass up the fruit of a Merss tree (banana shaped fruit that tastes like cantaloupe), the berries of a Stone Shrub (low lying shrub that grows even in rocky soil), or Sweet Kelp (grows in artic oceans in shallow waters).

Society
Social rank is not determined by monetary wealth, but rather by an individual’s skill in combat and accomplishments made during war-time. Packs consist of the pups, teenagers, Warriors (the core group), Healers (self-explanatory), Elders, and the Leaders. There is not a single leader, but rather a group. The leaders of a pack are the strongest, smartest, and bravest Warriors. However, in order to become a leader, an individual must prove they are able to avert bloodshed if necessary and have solid morals. In many cases, this may mean taking an enemy prisoner even when killing is more convenient. Wolgolveri cannot make a slave of one of their own, but can make a human or Rageryan a slave if they catch one. As a Rite of Passage, teenage Wolgolveri must either capture a human or Rageryan. If a Wolgolveri succeeds in catching a Rageryan, they are highly praised and respected, since a single Rageryan is able to take on at least three Wolgolveri. After their hunt, they are free to keep their catch, kill them (although it is a mark of maturity if they show mercy), or release them. They are encouraged, however, to take one finger of their prey, to prove they completed their test. The blood from the finger is used to make a line straight down their face from between their eyes to the tip of their nose. Before the Great War, the North and South were split, with Great Chieftains (two) from the head packs of each area leading separately. Each nation was made up of separate packs, of which the leaders would gather every full moon. After an attempt to unite the nations failed, the Great War ensued. However, the event that ended the Great War also brought the nations together into one big nation.

Family
Wolgolveri are monogamous, and only have a single mate. A typical Wolgolveri family consists of two parents and 2-4 pups. The parents are equal in every right, and both play a role in raising pups. Although the most common set of parents is a male and female, there are cases of homosexual couples. Their pups are either orphans or the pups of a vanquished enemy. The pups are expected to follow their parent’s orders without question. Mates were originally picked by parents, resulting in arranged marriages, but after the end of the Great War, marriages were more for mutual attraction rather than monetary gain or for land.

Clothing and Weapons
Wolgolveri often prefer to go without clothing, but will wear chest and back armor during times of war with other Wolgolveri packs. If with Rageryans or with humans, they will not as they do not consider the two species worthy of honorable combat. Healers will often wear fur capes of Pruinaraptor or Mystic Leaper fur as well as a feather headdress. Leaders wear a simple black cape during informal occasions and daily work, but during formal occasions and war they wear a necklace of bones and a red loin cloth held up by a belt. Wolgolveri prefer to carry melee weapons such as swords, knives, axes, spears, and maces, but are excellent archers and can handle a firearm well, although they are not fans of the smoke and smell of a firearm. Wolgolveri that are a part of the Secret Elite, an almost radical group that goes after Rageryans specifically over the Misty Mountains, have clothing and weapons more advanced than a normal Wolgolveri. They wear hard armor made of smooth, black plates and at enclosed helmet, a one way mirror lens blocking their eyes from view. They wield pistols, but, since using a gun to kill in considered dishonorable, they only carry nonlethal pellets containing Benzoberry juice used to render the target unconscious.

Important History Moments
The Blood Moon Arrival: The day the first group of Rageryans arrived west of the Misty Mountains and began colonizing the area. Due to the presence of the Blood Moon, Wolgolveri believed these newcomers, tall and strong with mystical powers and the ability to shift into dragons, to be devils, even calling them the Red Devils. The name eventually stuck, and even today that is what some bigoted Wolgolveri call Rageryans, despite the grudging peace between the two species. The Great War: The name given to the war between the northern and southern packs, brought about by an arranged marriage gone wrong. Alena, daughter of the Great Chieftain of the North, refused to marry Dunbar, the son of the Great Chieftain of the South due to Dunbar’s cruel and unforgiving nature. The South, always known to be more pugnacious, became offended and a war ensued. After many long years of war, spanning two generations, the arrival of Rageryans on the night of the blood moon made the nations unite to battle the new threat. The Long War: The war between Rageryans and Wolgolveri. Although many newer generations have accepted they can get along with Rageryans as long as they stay to their side of the mountains, the older generations still insist it is as alive as ever. There has been no formal peace talks or treaty.

Relationship with Other Species
While they generally despise humans and Rageryans, Wolgolveri appear to be on neutral or friendly terms with other species. Wolgolveri have no opinion on Alphians, since it is rare to find an Alphian on Mysteria, or Forbidden Isles Shapeshifters, who hate cold weather.